Putin: Russia would be insane to attack NATO

[Deranged Rhino]

This seems like one of those press conferences General Managers give about their head coach. The kind where they assure the media their coach's job is safe and not in jeopardy. Then, two days later, the same GM fires said coach.

 

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/06/412506802/putin-to-west-russia-is-no-threat

 

 

But Putin insists: "The world has changed so much that people in their right mind cannot imagine such a large military conflict today."

"We have other things to do, I can assure you," he said in a translation by Agence France-Presse. "Only a sick person — and even then only in his sleep — can imagine that Russia would suddenly attack NATO."

 

 

[Keukasmallies]

This ranks right up there with George Steinbrenner assuring Billy Martin that he will continue to be the Yankee manager....

[Barack Obama]

If you like your NATO, you can keep your NATO

[B-Man]

By this point, most of us have gotten over the fanciful idea that we’re dealing with any sort of honest broker in Russia and that everything can be set to rights with a magical reset button. But Putin is a tough nut to crack. As Carly Fiorina pointed out during CPAC this year, she’s met with the Russian leader multiple times and he’s gifted at smiling at you in a charming fashion while lying to your face. He’s also mastered the art of denying the obvious during interviews and insisting that the west is making everything up while looking for all the world like a hurt puppy who can’t believe that you’re implying such things about him. Meanwhile, people continue to die in Ukraine.

 

 

Still, Putin is keeping up the international charm offensive. He’s meeting with the Pope this week and will no doubt continue his attempts to look like some sort of peacemaker. And when he’s not flexing his military muscle, he’s using Russia’s diminished but still substantial financial clout to meddle in European affairs. He’s been dangling some tempting offers in front of Greece to try to draw them away from NATO and the west as they deal with their financial collapse. He’s never taken any sort of seriously hard line against Iran, North Korea or any other dangerous regimes. The list goes on.

 

 

We’re going to need someone who can deal with this guy in the White House. Putin may be an evil, terrible person, but when it comes to global power maneuvers, he’s playing three dimensional chess while we’re still playing checkers.

 

http://hotair.com/archives/2015/06/07/putin-you-think-id-attack-nato-you-must-be-insane/

[DC Tom]

By this point, most of us have gotten over the fanciful idea that we’re dealing with any sort of honest broker in Russia and that everything can be set to rights with a magical reset button. But Putin is a tough nut to crack. As Carly Fiorina pointed out during CPAC this year, she’s met with the Russian leader multiple times and he’s gifted at smiling at you in a charming fashion while lying to your face. He’s also mastered the art of denying the obvious during interviews and insisting that the west is making everything up while looking for all the world like a hurt puppy who can’t believe that you’re implying such things about him. Meanwhile, people continue to die in Ukraine.

 

 

Still, Putin is keeping up the international charm offensive. He’s meeting with the Pope this week and will no doubt continue his attempts to look like some sort of peacemaker. And when he’s not flexing his military muscle, he’s using Russia’s diminished but still substantial financial clout to meddle in European affairs. He’s been dangling some tempting offers in front of Greece to try to draw them away from NATO and the west as they deal with their financial collapse. He’s never taken any sort of seriously hard line against Iran, North Korea or any other dangerous regimes. The list goes on.

 

 

We’re going to need someone who can deal with this guy in the White House. Putin may be an evil, terrible person, but when it comes to global power maneuvers, he’s playing three dimensional chess while we’re still playing checkers.

 

http://hotair.com/archives/2015/06/07/putin-you-think-id-attack-nato-you-must-be-insane/

 

Actually, he's playing Comintern and Maoist strategy while we're still reading Clausewitz.

 

It's why his statement is entirely accurate, yet thoroughly mendacious. Of course he's not going to fight a large, stand-up military fight with NATO. Because he knows that NATO, and the US military in particular, still takes a "nation-state" or larger view of warfare, and doesn't know how to effectively respond to a "non-invasion" like we saw with the ceding of the Crimea to Russia.

 

He also knows that what he said will be misinterpreted by the west, as locked-in as we are to the Clausewitzian model of warfare.

[....lybob]

 

Actually, he's playing Comintern and Maoist strategy while we're still reading Clausewitz.

 

It's why his statement is entirely accurate, yet thoroughly mendacious. Of course he's not going to fight a large, stand-up military fight with NATO. Because he knows that NATO, and the US military in particular, still takes a "nation-state" or larger view of warfare, and doesn't know how to effectively respond to a "non-invasion" like we saw with the ceding of the Crimea to Russia.

 

He also knows that what he said will be misinterpreted by the west, as locked-in as we are to the Clausewitzian model of warfare.

The only strategy Putin is using is tit for tat

[DC Tom]

The only strategy Putin is using is tit for tat

 

That...makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

 

Unsurprising, considering the source.

[....lybob]

 

That...makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

 

Unsurprising, considering the source.

It makes sense if you are not a bloviating horse's A$$ - Cominterm? lol, what's he using? United front lol - Putin has no strategy- what Putin has is a mind set which is Russia is still a great power and is going to be treated that way or we are going to !@#$ you back as much as possible- and again Putin has no strategy but he's pretty good a finding vulnerable points to jab with a stick.

[truth on hold]

It would be insane for US to take part in provoking an uprising to unseat a democratically leader on Russia's border, and thinking it would trigger no response. But you know what....we still did it!

[TakeYouToTasker]

It makes sense if you are not a bloviating horse's A$$ - Cominterm? lol, what's he using? United front lol - Putin has no strategy- what Putin has is a mind set which is Russia is still a great power and is going to be treated that way or we are going to !@#$ you back as much as possible- and again Putin has no strategy but he's pretty good a finding vulnerable points to jab with a stick.

Stop commenting on geopolitics. Seriously.

[....lybob]

It would be insane for US to take part in provoking an uprising to unseat a democratically leader on Russia's border, and thinking it would trigger no response. But you know what....we still did it!

Unless it was done purposely to trigger a Russian response so to get Europe back in line under US leadership- It's always hard to tell if these government deep thinkers are screw-ups or brilliant chess players thinking nine moves ahead.

Stop commenting on geopolitics. Seriously.

!@#$ you smartest guy in your mom's basement

Edited June 7, 2015 by ....lybob

[/dev/null]

Unless it was done purposely to trigger a Russian response so to get Europe back in line under US leadership- It's always hard to tell if these government deep thinkers are screw-ups or brilliant chess players thinking nine moves ahead.

My money is on the former over the latter

[truth on hold]

Unless it was done purposely to trigger a Russian response so to get Europe back in line under US leadership- It's always hard to tell if these government deep thinkers are screw-ups or brilliant chess players thinking nine moves ahead.

 

!@#$ you smartest guy in you're moms basement

Don't think they cared one way or they other about the EU, as reflected in that twit nuland's comments.

 

 

State dept had their own agenda and they wanted to pursue. IMO is not a matter of being screw ups, they can go for the risky strategy since theyre not the ones to suffer the consequences of failure. Nuland still has same position at state dept as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs

Edited June 7, 2015 by JTSP

[TakeYouToTasker]

Unless it was done purposely to trigger a Russian response so to get Europe back in line under US leadership- It's always hard to tell if these government deep thinkers are screw-ups or brilliant chess players thinking nine moves ahead.

 

!@#$ you smartest guy in your mom's basement

You don't believe Putin to be acting as a rational actor, in a Machiavellian sense?

[....lybob]

You don't believe Putin to be acting as a rational actor, in a Machiavellian sense?

There are 2 schools of thought

1. Putin is delusional and has the personality of an attention seeking child

 

2. Putin is a proud nationalist and is rationally defending Russian interests

 

Which way you think about Putin has a lot to due with how you think of Russia itself, is Russia a marginal power or a major power. If Russia is a marginal power then Putin is delusional to put himself in contention with the U.S. and the west. If Russia is a major power then Putin may be rational in his moves.

 

The argument that Russia is a marginal power would start with a GDP one tenth the U.S and is now in decline., Russia has not diversified it's economy leaving it's economy extremely vulnerable, Russia conventional forces are completely over matched by the U.S. forces, Russia has a dwindling population, Russia has a host of internal problems, Russia has no worthwhile allies

 

The argument that Russia is a great power starts with 1500 nukes and being the only country in the world that could bring the U.S as we know it to an end, Russia is a member of the Security Council and can stop U.S. actions having the legitimacy of international law behind them, Russia's size and location alone makes it a major power , Russia may be in decline but Western Europe and Japan are in worse decline and the U.S. has it's own problems, China may not be an ally but as America is antagonizing both of them they are very good partners for one another (Russia's nukes and natural resources combined with China's economic power and population is a very formidable pairing).

 

My view is that Putin is rational and smart but is also a narcissist with an overdeveloped sense of Russia's and his own ability, I see him willing to engage in brinkmanship and rash decisions.

 

Of course Putin isn't the only narcissist on the world stage, the United States government also seems to like brinkmanship and if Putin overrates Russia then we underrate Russia willingness to protect national interests and their capabilities to do so.

 

In closing I don't think Putin has a grand strategy or is trying to reconstitute the Soviet Union or even build a Russian empire, I do think he's a proud nationalist who wants Russia treated like a great power with it's regional sphere of influence and interests respected - what's going on now is is a difference of opinion, the U.S. thinks Russia is a marginal power and !@#$ their interests, Putin thinks Russia is a major power and they are going to respond to any of those interests being violated, The U.S. is going to try to punish Russia into submission and Putin is going to try to mitigate that punishment and look for ways to throw some pain back - and for all the friction between the two countries remember Russia is vital for us supplying our 40,000 troops in Afghanistan, we also work cooperate on terrorism, and a number of other issues.

[OCinBuffalo]

Putin has no strategy

Yes, just like prositution rings have no strategy.

Just like drug cartels have no strategy.

Good theives? They don't plan or have a strategy at all. They just show up and start stealing.

 

Nah, these people, like Putin, are all low-lifes, which means they are incapable of strategic thinking.

 

F'ing preposterous.

 

Russians won't do anything without a plan. Russia values chess more than most countries. Russian programmers are famous for over-planning every single little detail. The best hacks, that steal tons of data/$ are coming from Russia. The F'ing KGB put together entire "American" towns and raised kids there from birth to 18 as deep cover operatives. The KGB was famous for long, complex, operations, often spending years to target and then turn a single spy.

 

Putin is a Russian, and KGB guy to boot...but, Putin has no strategy?

 

Again, F'ing preposterous. In fact, typical, ...lybob, F'ing preposterous.

[....lybob]

Yes, just like prositution rings have no strategy.

Just like drug cartels have no strategy.

Good theives? They don't plan or have a strategy at all. They just show up and start stealing.

 

Nah, these people, like Putin, are all low-lifes, which means they are incapable of strategic thinking.

 

F'ing preposterous.

 

Russians won't do anything without a plan. Russia values chess more than most countries. Russian programmers are famous for over-planning every single little detail. The best hacks, that steal tons of data/$ are coming from Russia. The F'ing KGB put together entire "American" towns and raised kids there from birth to 18 as deep cover operatives. The KGB was famous for long, complex, operations, often spending years to target and then turn a single spy.

 

Putin is a Russian, and KGB guy to boot...but, Putin has no strategy?

 

Again, F'ing preposterous. In fact, typical, ...lybob, F'ing preposterous.

what is Putin's grand strategy

[OCinBuffalo]

what is Putin's grand strategy

Again typical ...lybob, and liberals in general.

 

You make a declaritive statement, I call BS, and now it's for me to prove you wrong.

 

No. It's for you to prove your declaration. (Christ this is Global Warming all over again: I call BS on your "argument" and instead of proving the case, now it falls to me to prove there isn't Global Warming? F you!)

 

I have multiple ideas of what Putin is going to do, and, you're high if you think that China's first move in a major war isn't to invade Russia, to go after their natural resources, EDIT: followed closely by invading SE Asia and Korea, just like the Chinese have been doing for literally millenia.

 

But, none of that matters, yet, because you need to prove what you have arbitrarily declared.

 

I'm happy to respond to your request...right after you back up your declaration with fact, not conjecture.

Edited June 8, 2015 by OCinBuffalo

[....lybob]

Again typical ...lybob, and liberals in general.

 

You make a declaritive statement, I call BS, and now it's for me to prove you wrong.

 

No. It's for you to prove your declaration. (Christ this is Global Warming all over again: I call BS on your "argument" and instead of proving the case, now it falls to me to prove there isn't Global Warming? F you!)

 

I have multiple ideas of what Putin is going to do, and, you're high if you think that China's first move in a major war isn't to invade Russia, to go after their natural resources, EDIT: followed closely by invading SE Asia and Korea, just like the Chinese have been doing for literally millenia.

 

But, none of that matters, yet, because you need to prove what you have arbitrarily declared.

 

I'm happy to respond to your request...right after you back up your declaration with fact, not conjecture.

Reactions are not strategy - Russian moves in Ukraine were made in reaction to a western supported coup, Russia military action against Georgia made in reaction to Georgia's military action against South Ossetia, Russia reacts in Syria, The Europeans apply sanctions the Russians do massive deals with China and start moving pipelines east, The U.S. applies more financial sanctions Russia's announces they are creating their own SWIFT like system, are doing Bilateral currency swaps as much as possible and are going to broaden the currencies they will sell oil for and include gold in the mix, I'm also sure Russia will continue to do annoying things like sell Iran more Anti-aircraft defenses and agree to build more nuclear power plants, they can hurt us at the UN and they could hurt our efforts in Afghanistan but all that is not Strategy.

Edited June 8, 2015 by ....lybob

[....lybob]

This is strategy